Where the Map turns Blue
by HydrogenMonoxide
Summary: LET THE 56TH HUNGER GAMES BEGIN! Follows Essence "Essie" Marymount and her trip to the arena. Begins two days before the reaping
1. Chapter 1

Essence "Essie" Marymount

Ebberman Scorge

Chapter One: The life of a career

I guess you could say I was a career. I had been training for the games since my twelfth birthday, but not for the reasons the others do, But I wasn't one of the girls who "Trained" to stay thin either. I trained because I knew, deep down, one day I would have to enter the Arena. I don't know how I knew this, but I could feel it deep inside that somehow I would end up as the female tribute of District Four. So I trained, because I knew that if I entered that arena, I would have to come out too.

My name is Essence Marymount and I am fifteen years old. I am five foot three, have long golden hair, pale sea green eyes and light skin. I live in district four with my mother and father, my older sister, Apple, and my younger cousin, Caspian.

I walked into the training center and the air conditioning hit me like a saving grace. District four was the most southern of the districts and the hot air was almost suffocating at times. The training center was a large, one story building with a main lobby with a snack bar and a lounge area, two dressing rooms, the girls on the right, boys on the left, and a large gym with four different sections. There was a weaponry section, a strength section, a cardio section, and a warm up section.

In the dressing room, I threw my school bag into me locker, number 226, and went over to check the schedule. I found my group and read our plans for the day, smiling as I read we would be swimming today. The training center had its own small part of the beach for us to use, one were we wouldn't get run over by boats or mistaken for a large fish.

"Hey." I turned and smiled at my friend, Marina who had just walked out of one of the bathrooms .

"Hey." Marina was tall with tan skin and dark hair and eyes. Her father was the mayor of district four, so she had taken a car here. She was more popular than I was at school, mostly because I had gone through a rough period a while back, where I'd sort of ditched all my friends and became somewhat of a loner. Surprisingly enough, it was training that had helped get me back on my feet. The first year was tough, but by thirteen, I was back to my old self. Marina had been there to welcome me back. "What are you guys doing today?" I asked, referring to what her group was doing at training.

She rolled her eyes slightly, "Running." But then she smiled slightly. I knew Marina loved running but the thing that irked me was she was part of the large group of girls who went to the training center just to stay thin and pretty. I understood wanting to stay in shape, more than most probably, but they could do that by actually doing something useful, like learning how to defend themselves in a fight. Their wasn't always a volunteer willing to take someone's place, especially for girls, and people rarely won the games by _running._

I smirked slightly at her, "My group's going swimming." The added disdainfully, "After we do Strength training and some running." I could tell she was jealous, everyone loved swimming days, and my group got them the most often.

"Lucky." She murmured slipping in her running shorts and tank top with a built in sports bra. I stripped down and put on my black one piece swimming suit. Privacy wasn't something people worried about in district four, especially when it came to each other's bodies. I pulled on teal workout shorts over and an oversized tee-shirt. We walked out into the lobby, just as a large group of girls entered, all of them smiled and said hello to Marina, and some even greeted me as well.

We walked over to the snack bar and got in line behind a tall blonde boy with broad, perfectly muscled shoulders that were visible under his white tee-shirt. I knew who it was. Ebberman Scorge. I mentally sighed. He was two years above me in school and easily the most attractive boy ever. He was a hardcore career, but was also surprisingly nice and friendly. He was in my training group. He paid for his water and turned to go, smiling, "See you in a few." He said before walking away. Marina nudged me, giggling before steeping up to order a water and a protein bar. She paid and I ordered the same.

We sat down on the couches and chatted while eating our snacks for the remaining twenty minutes before training started. The TV in the lounge was playing a bit about the upcoming Hunger Games and had interviews with capitol citizens. "I'm just so excited! The opening ceremonies are always so brilliant! I love all the costumes. And I can't wait to get to know the tributes!" One women trilled in her ridiculous capitol accent. I almost scoffed. I guess _they _would like "getting to know us". I like getting to know people and then watching them be murdered as well.

"Are you excited?" Marina asked me, not taking her eyes off the screen. It was a dumb question, I could never answer honestly, and I'd learned that the hard way.

"Yes. It'll be fun and think of the school we get to miss." I forced a smile. I think Marina knew how I truly felt, but I knew she didn't share my feelings. Not many people in D4 did.

"Are there going to be any volunteers this year?" She asked. I know she was hoping there would be, just in case she got picked. Hypocrisy at its greatest. Of course Marina loves watching the games, but she would never want to be in them. Her and so many others. At the moment there were only three girl volunteers and nine boys.

"Nothing set in stone; no one is eighteen this year. Two of the boys will be next year, so one may volunteer this year, and then they both could go. Alisha will be eighteen next year two, but Brook and I are younger, so she wouldn't have to go yet." I could see her face fall. "Don't worry about it. Your name is only in their four times. And if you did get chosen, it would be a great honor."I told her repeating the line we had been force fed since before we were old enough to even understand what the words meant.

She nodded, "We should go." She said, standing up and walking into the gm without waiting for me. Oh the Hunger Games. Making things awkward between friends for fifty six years.

I walked into the gym and sat down in next to Brook. She was a year older than me, had medium brown hair and dark blue eyes, and was about three inches taller. Alisha was about the same height with almost black hair and icy blue eyes. Brook had tan skin, but Alisha was pale like me. The three of us didn't talk much during training, but we usually stuck near each other.

There were twelve kids in my group, the smallest group here. We were the volunteers. The ones who would be most prepared to go into the arena. The other groups were kids from rich families who came to either stay in shape and learn some minimal self defense or to fulfill gym requirements for school. Those groups were larger, with about twenty kids in each group and were separated by gender.

The rest of our group came over and we began stretching. Soon our trainer, Mortimer, came over to lead us in warm-ups. Mortimer was in his mid thirties and had won the games about 20 years ago. Now instead of leading a peaceful, relaxing life, he had chosen to run a gym. Freak.

We started with so easy running, a quick lap around building which was about a quarter of a mile then some sprinting exercises. Soon we went over to the strength section and lifted then did some abs. After we had finished those, I was time to go to the beach. The training center had been built on the water, so we had easy access to our section.

We went into the boat house and grabbed towels and fins for cool downs then stripped into our bathing suits. I quickly braided my hair to prevent it from knotting and lined up next to my group mates on the dock. A small area had been roped off for us, about fifty meters square. "To start off, I want you all to swim to the rope and back twice, but only using about 75% effort. Got it?" Mortimer told us. We all nodded and jumped in. I loved swimming, I was good at it. I'd been swimming my whole life, like most people in the district, but I was a natural. I had fallen off my dad's boat when I was three and hadn't been wearing a life vest, so I just mimicked what I had seen so many times before and ever since, I'd been a water bug.

I finished quickly, before Brook and Alisha, as well as four of the boys, and climbed the ladder to and sat down, waiting for the others. "Good job." Someone said sitting down next to me. It was a voice I'd know anywhere, Ebberman, but I'm just going to call him Ebb.

"Thanks." I smiled up at him, "You too." He laughed and I couldn't help but admire his perfect teeth and tan skin. Like me he had sea green eyes, but his hair was a lighter shade of blonde. Plus he was one hot Mofo. I didn't think I was ugly, but there were definitely prettier girls out there. Luckily for me, I'd become a lot prettier over the past two years, especially after losing all my "baby fat".

Ebb moved his arm slightly so that it was touching mine and I flinched slightly. His skin was wet and almost as hot as his physical appearance. I smiled to myself. The rest of the group finished soon after and sat down before we were all yelled at for being lazy and told to stand up. "That's better. Now we are going to do some relay races. Partner up!" Mortimer told us all. Brook and Alisha always partnered up, so I usually got stuck with one of the guys. Usually Kai, who was in my year at school, but today, Ebb smiled down at me, "Partners?"

I smiled and nodded a bit too enthusiastically. "Marymount, Scorge! Help me roll out the lane lines!" Mortimer called, and we obliged. Ebb and I won every race and practice ended too soon for my liking. We were all packing up when Ebb asked Mortimer, "Can I stay and do a few more laps?" Mortimer nodded. Ebb looked at me, "Want to stay?"

"Yeah, I'd love to." I said and walked over to them.

Mortimer handed Ebb the keys to the boathouse and said "Make sure you lock up. See you too tomorrow." He walked back up to the training center, following to rest of the group.

Ebb tossed the keys down on his towel and smiled at me, "You ready?"

"Of course." I said and walked over to the end of the dock and dove in. I was halfway to the rope when I heard Ebb call my name. "Essie! Stop! Essie!"

I stopped a turned toward him, confused, "What? What did I do?" He was in the water, but was floating by the ladder.

"Come here." He called, so I swam back to him.

"What happened? I thought we were swimming laps?" I asked.

He laughed, "We aren't actually swimming laps. What's the fun in that? We're just going to hang out. Have some fun."

"Ohhh." I said, then smiled slightly. "What kind of fun?"

"Essie, I really like you. I have for a couple of months now and with the reaping coming up, I felt like I needed to tell you." He said, and took a deep breath, looking at me, trying to predict my reaction.

Of course I had the wrong one. I know I probably should have said I really liked him too and all that jazz, but I'd never had anyone remotely like me before, so I said, "Are you going to volunteer?"

He looked disappointed, and I felt sort of bad, because I did like him too, I just didn't know how to say it. "I don't know. Caleb and I trying to decide what we want to do. I think he's getting cold feet, says he doesn't know if he wants to do it yet. He told me If I go this year then he'd go next year, but if I want to wait, he just won't go."

"Well that puts a lot of pressure on you." I stated and he nodded, agreeing.

"There's a lot of pressure on all of us. It's how the capitol keeps us divided. How they-"

I cut him off "Don't say things like that. They can hear you. They know everything you say." I warned him, at the risk of him thinking I'm and paranoid freak.

"What? How do you know?" He whispered.

"I can't tell you, just trust me. Please." I told him and he nodded. I could see the trust in his eyes and I smiled. "I forgot to tell you something though," I said seriously, suddenly gaining a crapload of courage.

"What is it?"

I leaned closer and softly placed my lips on his. He eagerly kissed me back and I could tell he'd had some experience in this department. I hadn't. But this was perfect. He pulled me closer, putting both his hand on my small waist and I wrapped my legs around him under water putting one hand on his cheek and the other on the back of his neck. I pulled back after a few minutes and smiled at him and he grinned back. "That was the best kiss I've ever had." He told me softly, his hands still on my waist.

"Me too." I said and laughed.

"What's so funny?" He asked confused.

"Oh. It was a joke. That was the only kiss I've ever had, so it was a funny statement to make to seem like I kiss people often. Or at least I thought it was funny."

He shook his head and grinned at me. "We should probably go. Do you want to get dinner at my house, though?"

"Sure, I'd love too."


	2. Chapter 2

Essence "Essie" Marymount

Ebberman Scorge

Essie's reaping dress : ?BR=f21&Category=dress&ProductID=2011407973&VariantID=

Chapter 2: The Reaping

I woke up too soon after the long night I had just spent tossing and turning, reliving previous Hunger Games. I looked at my clock, disappointed to see it was already quarter 'til eight. The reaping started at nine, so I had only forty five minutes to get ready. I threw off my covers and sat up, taking a moment to stare at the beautiful blue and green dress that hung on the back of my door.

I smiled slightly, happy to finally get to wear this dress. My mother and I had picked it out while we were shopping for dresses for my sister's wedding. I would be wearing it there too. Apple had turned 19 in February and was engaged to be married the day after. I was very happy for her, and Cal was really nice. I've heard people say opposites attract, so if that's the case, they're perfect for each other.

I stripped out of my pajamas, put on my dress and then walked over to the mirror to do my hair. I had bathed last night, because I don't like bathing in the morning. I pulled my hair up into a nice, but stylishly messy ponytail, then tied it with a teal silk ribbon. I looked at my reflection, taking in the girl staring back at me. I smiled at myself, frowned at myself, and mad many other faces at myself before realizing my face was not going to change into something extravagant before the reaping. Or after for that matter. Finally, I pulled on my white sandal and glanced at my clock again. Twenty minutes had passed so I would be leaving in twenty five.

In the kitchen my family sat tensely, not sure of what to say. It was Caspian's first reaping and no matter how much we tried to comfort him, he wouldn't calm down. My mother smiled at me, as if my presence had actually weakened the tension, "You look gorgeous, Ess."

"I know." I joked back and Apple scoffed, so I rolled my eyes. I took my seat next to Caspian, "Hey bud, how're you holding up?"

He forced a smile, "I'm fine. "

I sighed, "You are fine. You won't be picked, your name is in their once. One in THOUSANDS! I promise, you will not be going to the Hunger Games."

He nodded, "Pinky Promise?" He held out his pinky and I locked mine around his. I buttered a piece of toast but could only manage to chock down half. I tossed the bread onto my plate and sighed. "Can we go now?" Caspian asked nervously.

"I'll take him, you do the dishes." I told my parents and Apple. My mother nodded and came over to hug us both and my father nodded, "Good luck you both." He told us.

Caspian was already taller than I was, but other than that we looked very similar. Embarrassingly enough, we were often mistaken for twins. We had the same dirty golden blonde hair, pale sea green eye, and clear pale skin. We walked out the door and passed many other families on our way to the city circle. As the crowd cam into view, Caspian grabbed my hand and I gave him a reassuring squeeze.

We waited in line and gave a peacekeeper our names he checked us off, "Where is the rest of your family?" He questioned skeptically. Families usually tried to stay together as long as possible on reaping day.

"They'll be along shortly." I promised and he waved us through. The crowd was over whelming even for me, and I could hear Caspian's breathing speed up. "It's all going to be okay." I promised. Families and other individuals who were not eligible were already being showed to the overflow station where they would watch on a large screen. Due to the vast amount of children whose names were in the drawing, the spaces in the square were limited.

I set off towards the section in the back were all the twelve years olds stood when a peacekeeper stopped us, "Names please." He stated gruffly.

"We already checked in." I told him.

"Well I just want to make sure you are going to the correct sections. Names Please." He repeated, obviously implying neither of us looked twelve.

"Essence and Caspian Marymount." I answered, making sure my annoyance rang clear. From the look I received, it did.

"The boy may continue to the twelve year old section. You must stand with the other fifteen year olds." He declared superiority evident in his tone.

I sighed and turned to Caspian, "I guess I have to leave you here, Bud."

He nodded, "Okay."

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly for both of our benefits. I felt a warm tear on my shoulder, "Don't cry or I will too." I chided.

He pulled back and gave me a weak smile, "Good luck."

"You too." I called, watching him pile in with the others his age finding his friends and trying to shake all signs of weakness. He was easily one of the tallest of the kids and looked the oldest as well. Sometimes I forgot just how young he really was. I walked over to the fifteen year olds section, standing on the edge, right next to the ropes.

Marina pushed her way over to me and gave me a big hug, "Hey, good luck today."

I hugged her back, "You too." We didn't say anything else, because there really wasn't much else to say.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned, immediately smiling. "Hey Ebb." I hadn't seen him since we had kissed and had dinner two days ago and he immediately hugged me.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck." He smiled, engulfing me in a big bear hug. His muscular arms made me feel safe and I didn't want to let go, but I did.

"You too. Are you going to volunteer?" I asked him quietly.

"I don't know." he said running his hands through his cropped hair. "It depends on who gets picked." He said looking down.

I nodded and hugged him once more, "Goodbye." And he walked over to stand with the other seventeen year olds.

I heard a tap on the microphone and rolled my eyes at District Four's ridiculous escort, Mildred Tinkerton, a plump, overtly tan, middle aged woman who insisted on dressing like a mermaid ever year. "Good morning everybody, and Happy Hunger Games!" Some people cheered, but I just wanted to punch them all in the jaw. Could they cheer then?

Marina's father, Mayor Mariner- that's right, her name is Marina Mariner- took the mic graciously and began his endless spiel about the dark days and how the districts owe the capitol and blah blah blah. Finally it was time for the interesting, albeit terrifying, part.

Mildred Tinkerton took the mic and smiled at us all, "So many to chose from!" She squeeled excited, "Ladies first, as always." She reached her stocky arm into the large bin and rifled around for about a minute, I felt like I was about to pee or vomit or both. Finally she pulled out a single white sheet of paper and unfolded it slowly. A large smile spread over her face and I heard a name I had never wanted to come out this woman's mouth, ruined by her silly capitol accent. Mine.

My heart immediately began to pound so fast it hurt and my stomach felt like it was about to explode. I thanked myself for not having eaten or drunken much, because if I had I knew I would have both vomited and peed. Marina took my hand and squeezed it and I turned to the two peacekeepers waiting at the ropes to escort me up to the stage. I wished I could have walked slower, but it seem necessary to keep pace with them.

I reached the stage, determined not to cry and carefully mounted the stage. Controlling emotions was never a strong suit of mine and the only way I knew I could do it was by putting on my prettiest smile. A lie for the whole world to believe. I took my place next to Mildred and noted she smelled of artificial flowers, "You must be Essence." She shook my hand and I nodded. She turned and asked for volunteers, but there wouldn't be any, even if there was an eighteen year old girl. If one of us careers was chosen and had had at least two years of training, we were to be the ones going to the arena.

Mildred smiled at me one more time before moving on, "And not for the gentlemen!" She once again slowly diverged her pudgy hand into the other glass bin and searched for about a minute. She pulled out a crisp white sheet and unfolded, once again smiling, then faltering for a moment, before regaining her composure. I tried to peek to see who it was that had caught her off guard, but I couldn't. I looked out into the crowd, searching the faces of my friends when I heard her call out my worst nightmare, "Caspian Marymount!" She announce with grandeur.

"NO!" I heard someone yell, realizing a second too late it was me who had call out. I clasped my hands over my mouth and shook my head in shock. I looked behind me at the mayor and previous victor, for confirmation of what I had just heard. Mags, a woman in her late fifties, who was even shorter than I was, got up and hugged me. I wasn't sure if this was allowed, but I didn't protest. I watched with horror as my cousin, my own flesh and blood, was brought up to the stage, his face already streaming with tears.

He mounted the stage and took his spot next to Mildred, who seemed very excited about this turn of events. "I'll bet my buttons that's you sister." She smiled at him. He looked at her and sniffed.

Mags stepped forward, her arm around my shoulders, "Well then you better give that boy your buttons. They're cousins." She said. And in that moment I decided I wanted to be exactly like Mags when I was older.

"She may as well be my sister." Caspian amended, trying to compose himself.

Mildred asked for volunteers and I stared out to the second row where Caleb and Ebb stood, whispering to each other. Ebb looked up and met my eyes with sad ones of his own. And I shook my head and turned away from him. Coward.

The reaping finished and Caspian and I were shuffled off to the justice building for last goodbyes. For one, or possibly both of us, it would be the last time we would ever see our family or district four. I played with the charm bracelet on my left wrist. It had eight charms; a sailboat, a fish, an initial for myself and each member of my family, and pearl from Marina.

My first visitor was Marina. I turned from the window where I watched the camera crews try to position themselves to get the best shot of us as we left and ran to embrace her. "Essie, I'm so sorry." She cried.

"Why, it isn't your fault. " I told her.

"I know, but it's just so sad!" She grabbed my hands with hers, "You have a lot of visitors, so I have to make this quick. You have to promise me you'll try your hardest to come home. You're the most capable girl I know! You're ready for this!"

I shook my head, "Brooke and Alisha are both more capable than I am. And I can't If I come home, then Cas would have to die, and I can't let that happen."

"So you're going to sacrifice yourself for him?"

"Probably." I admit, avoiding her eyes. The peacekeeper appears and we hug one more time and she whispers, "You'll always be my best friend. I love you Essie."

"I love you too." And then she's gone.

Next Brooke and Alisha come in. As usual we don't talk much, we just hug and they hold my hands, giving encouragement silently with smiles. Neither cries, which either means they secretly didn't like me very much or they just have faith in me. I have a feeling it's the latter.

After them the boys in my training group show up. All of them accept Caleb and Ebb. Good. The all hug me and then bombard me with reminders and useful tips. When the Peacekeeper returns, they all wish me luck and Kai, the boy in my year, even gives me an extra hug and a kiss on the cheek, "I'll always be rooting for you." He smiles and leaves after the others. I'm surprised, because we've never talked outside of training. Why couldn't he have told me he liked me? Then I wouldn't have wasted my first kiss on Ebb.

Next my family comes in and we all exchange hugs. My mother breaks down into a fresh round of tears, as she has obviously been crying for a while and no one else knows what to do. I have so many questions I don't dare to ask. The peacekeeper comes to usher them out and my father sticks behind and whispers in my ear, "If you think you can win, you win. Or you help him win. You can decide which. But I believe in you. I know I will have one of my children back. You decide." I stare at him, incredulous. He kisses my forehead and leaves. _Thanks, dad._

Last and sure as hell least, Ebb comes in. "Go away. I don't have anything to say to you." I tell him.

"Let me explain." He pleads, and I stare out the window, silent. "Caleb wants to drop out. He doesn't want to go at all. I'd have a better chance if I went next year. And I could never bring myself to fight you. I did it for us."

"You're a selfish bastard. A selfish, cowardly bastard." I told him, giving him my coldest stare. " I never want to see you ever again."

He stood up and looked hurt, and then he glared at me, "Well you probably never will." He said and left before the peacekeepers came and summoned him. I flipped him off as he left.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Train

I boarded the train, holding Caspian's hand. He had managed to stop crying, but his eyes were red and puffy. I wasn't going to let him go through this alone, no matter what, we would be a team, I just hoped he would agree.

Mildred ushered me away from Cas and off to a room with a couch and a TV. She sat down and patted the spot on the couch next to her on the couch then turned the TV on. I stood in the doorway for a moment before reluctantly sitting on the complete opposite side of the couch. "I just love watching the reapings! It's just so exciting to see the newest tributes, don't you agree?" She smiled at me.

I wanted to hate her with all my being, and I did in a way, but if I had been raised in the capitol, maybe I too would look forward to seeing which children would be thrown into an arena to fight to the death. The idea seemed farfetched, but the point was, maybe it wasn't her fault she was such a materialistic, self-absorbed, frilly idiot. "So exciting." I lied, mimicking her accent, knowing she wouldn't notice. I would have to get out most of my hostilities now if I wanted to make a good impression.

We had missed the reapings for districts five and six, but sevens had begun just a few minutes ago. The announcer, a tall thin man with bedazzled eyebrows and dark purple hair, had just pulled out the girls name, Lanelle Core, and she stood next to him. The camera zoomed in on the girl who had a tear running down her face. She wiped it off with her sleeve. Mildred scoffed, "Sixteen and crying at the reaping, I mean twelve year old, I can almost understand, but sixteen. This girl will not be getting sponsors…" I stared at her, an eyebrow raised and she just shrugged.

I had tuned out after that, knowing Mildred would make us all watch the recap later. Finally I heard the TV announcer tell viewers when they could catch the recap and that he hoped they would tune in. Mildred turned off the TV and smiled at me with her too white teeth, "Do you want some lunch?" I nodded and followed her to what I presumed was the dining room.

I smiled when I saw Caspian sitting at the table with Mags, Mortimer, and five other victors varying in age. I sat next to Mags and Mildred sat next to me. "So did you all enjoy the reapings?" She questioned cheerily.

There was an incoherent mutter from the group except from one elderly man who seemed to be slightly off his rocker, as they say. He clearly called out, "We didn't watch it you dumbshit. We never do." I burst out laughing and the rest of the victors and Caspian soon followed.

Mildred glared at him, "You shouldn't speak to people like that, especially not me." She sniffed and called for a waiter to bring the first dish. That's right, our lunch was served in courses. While being from a well off family in a fairly well off district, I'd never had a meal with courses and most of my lunches and dinner were fish. And I hated fish. But I always ate it anyways.

A man in a white coat placed a large sphere of bread in front of me and I thanked him befoe staring at it uncertainly. I looked over to Mags, who a lifted the top off hers, so I did the same. Inside was some sort of soup. "What is it?" I asked inhaling deeply. It smelled amazing.

"Cheddar and broccoli soup. It's very good." Mags replied.

"Why isn't it in a bowl?" Caspian asked. It was the first time I'd heard him talk since the reaping and his voice made me smile slightly.

"It is, but it's called a bread bowl. It's a bowl made out of bread." Mildred told him. "That way you can eat it too. Many people dip the bread in the soup. Sometimes I forget just how underprivileged you children are." She sighed, remorsefully. Mags scoffed.

I ripped off a chunk of bread that had been the cover, dipped it in, making sure I got a big scoop, and ate it. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted!" I exclaimed and Caspian nodded in agreement. I wanted to shove the whole thing in my mouth at once, but I remembered to pace myself and use table manners. I hoped Cas would do the same.

Soon after I had finished the soup it was taken away and replaced with a piece of beef about the size of my hand on top of a yellowish square Mildred said were called au gratin potatoes and the steak was filet mignon. Next we each got a medium sized serving of Caesar salad. I'd had the salad before, but it paled in comparison to the capitol's version. After, two of the waiters brought out a tall cart with dozens of types of dessert on it. "You have dessert after having a three course lunch?" Caspian asked, shocked. "We're lucky to get dessert after a one course dinner."

I slouched in my seat stuffed, before Mildred swatted my shoulder, "Sit up straight!"

I sat up straight and groaned slightly, "May I wait and have my dessert later? I'm so full."

Mildred nodded "Of course. But you should stay for introductions!" She said enthusiastically. "And of course we should give out jobs to everyone! Alright, that's Mags, Mortimer, Jack, Dorothy, Lyle, Lula, and Milton." She said 'Milton' with obvious disdain, most likely because he had previously called her a dumbshit. "Okay, How about Mags, Lula, and Dorothy are Essence's mentors and Jack, Mort, and Lyle are Caspian's? Is everyone good with that?"

"What about me?" Milton asked her annoyed. Mildred ignored him.

"I was actually hoping Caspian and I could be mentored together." I admitted, looking at him hopefully. Luckily he nodded in agreement.

Mildred looked at me confused, "Why would you want that? Then you would give away all your secrets."

"We've lived together for ten years. We don't have any secrets." I shot back, ticked off at how oblivious she was.

"And besides we're going to be allies in the arena." Caspian added.

"Well alright, I suppose we'll all just work together. Like a team. Too bad one of you will have to day." She shrugged and then bit into her cake, moaning with delight. I stared at the other victors who just rolled their eyes; there wasn't much else to do. It was true. One of us would die, I would do anything to make sure one of us returned home.

We finished dessert making small talk about what training we had had previous to now. I told them I had had three years of career training which was met with a round of applause from the victor and a delighted squeal from Mildred, who also exclaimed, "Maybe there is hope for you! I figured if anything the boy would win, I mean you're just soooo small!' I looked at her disgusted and told them my strong suits and weaknesses.

"I am pretty strong and can use a mace, a sword, a spear, and throw a knife with accuracy. I'm not very good at distance running, but can sprint fairly well. I swim extremely well. I suck at archery and am not a complete idiot when it comes to hand to hand combat. I mean, I know how to throw a punch an kick, it's just that I'm sooooo small." I said, once again mocking Mildred's accent. I don't think she realized I was laughing at her, not with her.

Caspian's skills were much more limited. He could swim and he was strong and had a bigger build. He already had four inches and a good 40 pounds on me. But he had no training with weapons of any sort. But he also knew plants, which would help us find food. I made sure he didn't leave any of this information out.

We reached the Capitol at about six that night. And both Caspian and I rushed to the window to see the city. It was undeniably the most beautiful, if fake, thing I had ever seen. Everything was so different from home; the colors enhanced to be brighter, buildings that seemed to touch the sky, and the people. Well they were weird. And scary. They all stopped and watched jumping with excitement, recognizing a tribute train.

People pointed to us in the windows and waved. I waved back, knowing very well one of these people could be the difference between life and death in the arena. Some people tried to run alongside the train, not wanting to say good bye. The train had slowed down quite a bit, so I presumed it was safe to open the window. I opened it up and leaned out, "Hello everyone!" I called sweetly, fining excitement. The crowd went absolutely wild! They all yelled back, I could barely understand, but I made out someone ask what district we were from. "District four! I'm Essence and this is Caspian!" I called, pointing to my cousin who was leaning out next to me.

"Hello!" He called. I swear every woman on the street, no matter what her age was, went absolutely mad, professing their love. I wanted to tell them he was twelve, but I held back. He waved and gave them all a winning smile. Eventually people stopped trying to run with us and just watched as we passed by, Cas and I waving like we were returning home, happy to see all our good friends. What a lie we all live.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Tonight, Just Smile and Look Pretty

I awoke at nine this morning and was shuffled off to breakfast. We were meeting our prep teams at twelve, so we were told to not bother dressing in proper clothes or shower. Over breakfast, our mentors shared advice from when they were in the games on what to do and what not to do with the stylists. First off, we were to do whatever they said, no matter what, we couldn't resist. It was also better not to whine or get insulted when they talk about you.

I tried to take all the advice to heart, but had a hard time eating anything. Tonight was it. It was my night to make an impression and I knew I had too. All I could manage to do was eat a roll and wish for a good styling team over and over.

At twelve o'clock sharp, Mildred took me back to my room and introduced me to my prep team, two men and a woman. Their names were Gil, Claude and Lena. Gil was an older man, probably in his late forties, desperately trying to look twenty five. Other than his clothing and many surgeries though, he looked quite normal compared to some others. His hair looked natural and he wasn't an unnatural shade of blue or pink. Claude and Lena were obviously twins and they wanted everyone to know it. They wore the same striped shirt and bedazzled jeans with white sneakers that were surprisingly sensible. They both had red scarves around their necks and navy blue berets over their bubblegum pink curls. Glittering gold lipstick adorned their mouths and their dark eye shadow brought out their unnaturally silver eyes. I politely smiled and nodded, "I'm Essence."

"Don't be silly darling, of course we know who you are!" Gil enthused.

"Everyone does! District four's reaping has been played almost constantly since the official broadcast was over. I mean it's just so intriguing, they've never had relatives in the arena before, everyone is so excited!" Claude added.

"Alright, enough chitchat! We must get started." Lena chirped! "I'm going to bathe you and wax your personal areas and then we'll bring in Claude and Gil!' She smiled and I was grateful that neither of the men would be toughing me in my 'personal areas.'

Lena brought me into the bathroom and had me strip. She inspected what she had to work with and nodded, "You'll be exquisite when we're done with you!" She smiled.

For the next two hours I sat quietly, listening to their petty conversations while they washed, waxed, and pluck my body to perfection. I was relieved when I was allowed to put my robe, which was aqua and made of silk. They then curled my long, wavy hair and did my makeup. (Makeup- .com/post/15152521016

Hair- .com/post/14995336248 )

After three long hours of being made up, I was deemed ready to meet my stylist. A tall man who was very skinny and about thirty came in. His skin was turquoise and had silver swirls that made it resemble water. I was told his name was Loren. He had me take off my robe and examined me then smiled, "She's perfect. The best we've ever had, possibly." He said in a far off voice, his eyes trained in space. "What an impression you are going to make. Time to get you in your outfit." I watched him walk over to the closet and pull out a large black bag. He unzipped and revealed a large blue, green, and silver skirt that seemed to be made of scales. I was going to be a mermaid. Great.

Getting the skirt on and making it appear as if it actually was part of my body took a good forty five minutes. The colors were beautiful and I knew for a fact they looked good on me for they were the same colors of my dress I had worn to the reaping. Next he dusted my torso and arms in silver glitter powder. For a moment, I was worried I was going to be topless until Lena brought over two white shells. They were relatively small and just barely covered my nipples. It wasn't the bikini top I had hoped for, but it was better than nothing.

After four long hours of preparation, I could finally see how I would look when I rode through the streets during the opening ceremonies. Lena helped me over to the mirror and I gasped. Of course I thought the whole thing was completely ridiculous, but I had to admit, I was one freaking hot mermaid. My hair fell perfectly in a way I could never manage back home and my green eyes sparkled against the blue and purple eye makeup. My pale skin looked almost translucent and seemed to glow, and for once I wasn't envious of the girls who tanned with such ease. I was also happy of the chest that had finally grown over the past year. I couldn't imagine pulling this outfit off with a flat chest.

I turned to my prep team and Loren. "Thank you all so much, I look beautiful."

"You're going to make a splash!"Gil exclaimed and Lena and Claude nodded eagerly in agreement.

"The only way you could be more perfect is if you were taller."Claude sighed and I managed to not roll my eyes.

The three men left soon after wishing me luck, but Lena stayed with me and told me she would be accompanying me to the barn later. We sat and talked for a bit, and I realized that I may actually have like her if she wasn't prepping me to be thrown into battle for her own entertainment. At five o'clock we went down to the barn and she hugged me and wished me good luck then ran off to find her place with the other prep teams on the streets.

I spotted Caspian by himself, and smiled seeing he was a merman. "Hey bro." I laughed. Today, I had been told we were now brother and sister, because no one seemed to understand why we lived together if we were cousins.

He nodded, "He sis." He laughed, "You look… interesting."

I rolled my eyes, "You too." District four was usually dubbed the most attractive district, so we were almost always dressed in exploitive ways, but even I had to admit, we were definitely the most attractive here. I saw a group of four large kids huddled in a corner and knew it was the careers. Who else would be socializing? "We have to go over there." I told Caspian.

"But I'm not a career." He replied, embarrassed.

"They don't know that."

"I cried at the reaping."

"You're district four. It's like a rite of passage for us to be careers. Come on." I grabbed his wrist and started to drag him over with me, both of us awkwardly shuffling due to our tails. "Hey." I smiled. "I'm Essence and this is my brother Caspian."

"We were wondering where district four was." The boy from district one said, smiling.

"Even if one is a cry baby." The girl from his district said haughtily, looking at Caspian then at me. Both she and the girl from two seemed caught between staring at Cas, or glaring at me in jealousy. This was new for me, because back home, I was pretty average.

I rolled my eyes at her, "I wouldn't be so fast to judge." I shot back. "We both know district four almost always gets the most sponsors."

The boy from two threw his arm around my shoulders and checked me out, "I think you will be a very valuable asset." He winked at me and I blushed. He surprisingly attractive, both the boys were and the girls were pretty as well. Over all I would say we were a pretty good looking bunch. "Can you two fight."

"I can, I've been training for three years. Cas was supposed to start this year, but he got reaped. But he can run, fish, and swim." I told them and gave Cas a reassuring smile. We all talked until it was time to start and I learned their names. Jasper and Pearl were from district one, so of course their names were ridiculous, like Jasper and Pearl and Teddy and Cleo were from district two. Both the boys had to be at least six foot five and the girls were about five foot nine. Cas and I were easily the midgets of the bunch, but at least he had the excuse of not having had his growth spurt yet.

When it was time to go, we said our goodbyes and Teddy gave me a big bear hug lifting me off the ground. I could see the envy in Cleo's eyes and smirked. I could tell Teddy was attracted to me, but I wonder how he would feel tomorrow, when I wasn't half naked. I hoped differently, because then I would feel bad when I let him die in the arena.

Caspian and I boarded our chariot and I glanced around at the others, noticing the stood as far apart as possible. I didn't know what we should do, so I decided we would just stand closely together. When the carriage began to move, Cas almost tumbled off, so I wrapped my arm through his, "You ready." I asked, my stomach turning.

He smiled, "Of course. This is the part I'll actually be good at." I was laughing as we exited the barn and the cheers seemed to grow at our presence. I smiled and looked around confidently, waving at everyone. I could hear people shouting 'Marymount' and people men falling to their knees at the sight of me. I blew kisses towards them and even the women threw their hands up to try and catch them. Caspian was waving and blowing kisses as well, giving his nicest smile the whole time. I looked up and saw us on the jumbotron and smiled even wider. It was as if we were actually sparkling. Cas and I had come into this as automatic favorites, due to the drama of our situation, and I realized that everything I did would only make people love us more. In their eyes, we were what were going to make these games memorable, and I was going to make sure to fulfill their expectations.

When we reached the city circle and the chariots stopped, I found the cameras trained on myself and Cas quite a bit, so I decided to give them a show. I looked around at the other chariots and found Teddy's eyes on me. I smiled at him and he smiled back, and I knew the cameras would be watching us, so I gave him my sexiest smile and I blew him a kiss. He grinned back and reached his hand out, pretending to catch it and held it to his heart. I laughed good naturedly and flipped my hair over my shoulder, making sure he had the perfect view of my almost bare chest and turned away. I looked at the screen and saw the cameras focused on district twos chariot. Cleo was still waving oblivious to the show I was putting on, just assuming she had done something right to make the audience love her. But I knew the real reason why, it was Teddy, who was gaping at me.

I knew I was treading in dark waters, but this was the hunger games, but right now Teddy and the rest of the capitol were pretty damn hungry.


End file.
